There are certain things required of teams that want to be elite and successful at a high level. One of those is a consistent offense that can both score points and control tempo. A unit that can physically assert themselves, punishing their opponents, becomes truly difficult to handle. Having a complete, workhorse running back can facilitate that kind of offense, and that is exactly what North Cobb High School has in Michigan commit Benjamin Hall.
Hall is listed at 5’10” and 228 pounds, and he runs much bigger than that. When Hall encounters a smaller defender, the outcome is pretty well already decided. Hall runs low, with a lot of power and drive to match the bad intentions when he initiates contact. Hall is a hammer of a back that wears defenses down, just as he did against the reigning 7A Georgia State Champion Collins Hill Eagles in their scrimmage with the Warriors. Rarely did the first man get Hall to the ground, and even when several tacklers converged, he still moved the pile forward. That kind of power and reliability set the tone for the North Cobb offense, but Hall has more to his game than just working as a bruiser.
On one of this first carries of the game, Hall was able to get to the corner and turn it. Once he turned up field the burst of speed from Hall was surprising. The Warrior running back has an extra gear that allows him to be explosive as a runner when he gets to the open field or after he shakes free of a broken tackle. Hall has the power to be tough to bring down as well as the speed to turn opportunities into chunk gains. Hall also shows good lateral quickness and agility, working patiently behind his line, waiting and pressing the hole, before putting his foot in the ground, and accelerating through it. His excellent feet also kept him free of grasping hands several times, allowing him to turn what should have been tackles for loss into quality gains.
In short, Hall is a rock solid running back, capable of being a workhorse, with a complete set of skills, allowing him to contribute however he is required to. For a team like Jim Harbaugh’s Michigan Wolverines, Hall seems to be a perfect fit. The Wolverines like to establish the run first, control the pace of the game, get explosive plays in the run game, and set up play action passes off the run threat. Hall just runs like a Michigan back. His low center of gravity, willingness to deliver a blow, and the speed to accelerate to an explosive play when he sees open field, just fit with what Michigan wants offensively.
Ann Arbor is waiting for Hall, but first he and his teammates have a high school campaign to complete, a campaign where they may be the favorites to take the 7A crown. Hall can provide many facets as a running back, and that ability to help his team will likely contribute to some important victories for the Warriors along the way.
